


Searchlight

by ThunderDownOnGreenside



Category: Free!
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Introspection, Love at First Sight, M/M, Naruto AU, Original Character Death(s), Sacrifice, Slash, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 05:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1732952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThunderDownOnGreenside/pseuds/ThunderDownOnGreenside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe I'm not as strong as I pretend to be, maybe you only pretended to need me.</p><p>Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't care, but I have to know...will I see you there?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Searchlight

_(Gotta make this one count somehow)_

Seijuurou tugs his hood off and collapses back against the tree, breathing heavily. All this time training, dodging obstacles and running through forests so fast it feels like he's flying and he _still_ doesn't think he'll ever be able to catch up to his lighter, swifter teammates. Yusokabe is tall like him, but leaner at the shoulders and more fleet of foot; Miyazawa is slighter altogether and is fond of Wind-style techniques as it is. The team dynamic works because they balance each other out, each one filling a certain degree on the spectrum, but the fact remains that no matter how hard he works, Seijuurou still can't go as fast for as long.

 

His teammates make jokes that it has to with his affinity for Fire Jutsus. All that chakra usage can't be good for his stealth skills!

 

"You alright there, Mikoshiba?"

 

"I'm fine, Keiji," Seijuurou groans, forsaking formalities in an effort to save breath. "Just need a moment. You go on ahead with Masaya, I'll catch up with you later."

 

"You sure about that?" The brunet grins mischievously, and Seijuurou rolls his eyes. Honestly, those two and their lovebird antics...

 

" _Very_ sure, my friend." He tips his head back against the tree. "I'll only be a couple minutes."

 

"Alright then!" Keiji gives him one last look through bright, golden eyes before he turns on his heel and flits away through the woods with a cheeky grin.

 

The redhead laughs quietly and shakes his head in faint amusement, fiddling with his gloves as he watches the sun filter in through the trees. Konoha is always quiet this time of year, gentle and under the sway of early summer as the young ninja squads grow and mature. Seijuurou and his teammates are Chuunin now, but they're working towards joining the ANBU forces before they turn eighteen. They've got a lot under their belt for teenagers - three S-Rank missions, a personal order from the Hokage, an entire _war_ \- and somehow they made their way through all of it. It's enough to make any shinobi proud. Still...

 

Seijuurou notices a flash out of the corner of his eye and freezes. Something blue darts by, almost imperceptible; seconds later, a green shape whips through his line of sight, larger than the last but no less swift. It leaves a fading echo of laughter behind.

 

A short span of time passes and he considers moving again, but then another presence halts that idea in its tracks. He motions to suppress his chakra -

 

And then stops, eyes wide.

 

_(And suddenly, I've found you now)_

 

A lithe figure cuts across his vision, twisting gracefully midair to land lightly on the tree branch a short distance away from him, body bending smoothly to maintain balance. Seijuurou can see dark red hair swept back into a short ponytail, elbow-length fingerless gloves, and the end of a long scarf - then the figure shifts, turning to kneel along the edge of the branch and check back the way they came and Seijuurou feels _that_ like a punch to the gut.

 

Wine-crimson eyes practically glow in the slats of low sunlight, the other's clean, youthful features illuminated against the darker backdrop of the forest. If he was talking right now, he'd be speechless for sure; as it is, Seijuurou hardly even registers the facts that he's breathing as he notices the lines of the other's tapered waist and strong calves. The ninja - and he's definitely a boy, come to think of it, despite the curve of his hips - gazes cryptically into the distance before shaking his head slightly and whirling back around, continuing in the direction that he'd been going since his initial appearance.

 

His presence soon fades and Seijuurou releases a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. That ninja...who was he? He'd certainly never met him before! He would remember a face like that for sure...angled, serious, strangely elegant despite his masculinity...

 

The redhead shakes his head to clear it and takes a steadying breath, re-tying his headband before rising to a crouch, scanning the trees for Masaya's signature chakra trail. It isn't hard to detect and he's soon on the move again, his eyes focused on the objective but his mind far, far away.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"What do you think, Sei? Seijuurou? Hey buddy, wake up! Earth to Sei!"

 

The redhead blinks as Keiji's tanned fingers snap under his nose, body jerking back and almost falling off the stool if not for Masaya's steadying hand.

 

"Easy there, Seijuurou." He reprimands gently before shooting Keiji a look through narrowed eyes. "Honestly, Keiji?"

 

The taller brunet shrugs unaffectedly and slurps more of his ramen, unapologetic and not particularly concerned with his teammate's potential wrath. Masaya sighs and turns back to his bowl as well, giving Seijuurou one last look of concern as he does so.

 

"In case you were wondering, we were discussing if we should offer our assistance in the upcoming Chuunin Exams." The lighter brunet explains, gesturing delicately with his chopsticks. "Since we've already participated in it, the test would be a good review for us."

 

"I'm not so sure, though." Keiji interjects, twirling his own chopsticks between his fingers. "The exam was scary as hell and twice as fucked up when we took it last time, remember? Lots of bad memories...I don't really want to go through that again, honestly. That's why we were asking you. Once again, you're our trusty tiebreaker."

 

This is a familiar role to Seijuurou, one that he fulfills with a certain degree of pride. His two teammates are different as different can be in some ways, and while that lends the balance that any decent squad needs, it also adds the dissent that no ninja wants for anything. Seijuurou tends to fall in the middle of their ideals, much in the same way that Keiji tends to fall in the middle of their fighting styles, and this allows more mobility in decision-making.

 

"I've gotta side with 'Saya on this one. Sorry buddy." The redhead chuckles, ignoring his teammate's indignant yelp in favor of his food which has, let's face it, been getting cold with all the spacing out and chatter.

 

"Seriously Sei? And here I thought we were friends...I can't take you anywhere." Keiji's complaints devolve into mutinous mutterings as another group ducks into the shop beside them, apologizing softly for any potential bumping elbows.

 

Seijuurou waves them off with a grin and a lighthearted greeting, shifting to accommodate the shrinking space and laughing when Keiji slides halfway off of his stool when one them accidentally bumps him. He's just about to return to his bowl when he notices a flash of darker red out of the corner of his eye.

 

_(Just give me one more second to breathe)_

 

His heart skips a beat and Seijuurou's whole body tenses as the ninja from the forest leans across the counter, legs curled up on the barstool and slender body arching invitingly. Up close he's even more mesmerizing than before, dark colored clothes alternatively accentuating and disguising his form.

 

Then he looks at him and Seijuurou's whole world dissolves, leaving nothing but this other ninja and his intelligent, carmine eyes, the light smile playing at the corner of his lips.

 

"Yo."

 

Seijuurou makes an unintelligible sound in response and the ninja laughs, the sound bright and attractive. His teammates seem interested in the situation, not that he's checking; the green eyed boy seems amused, although the dark-haired one seems more focused on his food.

 

"You got a name, hot stuff?"

 

Keiji snorts loudly from behind and Seijuurou flushes despite himself, mentally cursing his sudden ineptitude.

 

"Seijuurou. Seijuurou Mikoshiba."

 

The red haired ninja grins, revealing unnaturally pointed teeth that somehow don't detract from his appearance.

 

"Nice name, Sei. You can call me Rin Matsuoka." He hops off the barstool with his bag of food, tossing a little wave and a smirk over his shoulder as he goes. "See ya!"

 

Seijuurou watches his shadow disappear, ignoring the questions and laughter of his overly curious teammates. It doesn't matter. He has his name now.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Months pass and the season grows darker, lives slipping in and out of existence as fast as the days change. They end up participating in the first portion of the Chuunin Exams, and Seijuurou is surprised to see Rin and his team there, studied up and ready to go. He worries incessantly for the whole week that is given to the second exam and the necessary semi finals; he hears through an insider that Rin's entire team passed by some offhanded miracle.

 

Things are different when he sees them again, though.

 

The two teams bump into each other while out on separate runs, Rin's on their way to the mission's office, Seijuurou's on their way to see the Hokage. The dark haired boy, Nanase, seems about the same, but Tachibana looks exhausted and Rin just looks...

 

"What do you think happened?" Masaya asks softly once they pass, his voice laden with concern. Keiji just shakes his head sadly, glancing behind him with a melancholic look of resignation.

 

"I told you. The Chuunin Exams will fuck you up."

 

...Distant.

 

Hardened.

 

Strange.

 

_(And I swear to God I'll never leave)_

 

Nothing like the entrancing spectre he'd been before, and it worried him. Could the exams alone really have messed them up that badly? Or had something else happened in the time they'd been apart?

 

Seijuurou shakes his head, sighing but putting it behind him all the same. They'll have time for that later; right now, his team has their own work to do.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Additional months pass before they see each other again and things have changed so much that there's hardly a point in explaining it. They're both ANBU now, Seijuurou eighteen like he'd promised, Rin sixteen like his father had been. They learn a lot about each other in their ensuing time together, those long missions in dark, hostile places without any guarantee of seeing their home again.

 

Seijuurou learns about what happened at the Chuunin Exams, about how Makoto still isn't the same and how part of Rin still regrets it. He learns about his little sister, Gou, and how much Rin loves her. He learns about his goals and dreams, about the little things that drive him. He learns about his childhood. He learns about how his father died.

 

In turn, Rin learns about Seijuurou's family, his sister and his parents. He learns about Keiji and Masaya and how they died three months ago on an A-Rank mission, Keiji in sacrifice, Masaya in his attempt to heal him, and why Seijuurou hasn't been able to look at medical ninjas since. He learns about his pacts and promises, about the goals he'd made with his team and how he intends to keep them. He learns about his childhood. He learns about how he fell in love.

 

They're somewhere in a lonely forest on the fringes of darkness and eternity when Rin kisses him for the first time, just a gentle touch, nothing more than a brush.

 

_(Gotta make this one count somehow)_

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"I can't- _Seijuurou_ I swear... _please don't stop ah_ "

 

Rin threads gloved fingers through his lover's soaking wet hair and arches into his touch, gasps rough and breaths shallow. Silence is everything but he can't help himself right now - Seijuurou is insistent, kisses powerful and demanding, and the younger man gives himself over to it entirely, heels braced against the branch underneath him.

 

"Ssh," Seijuurou murmurs in his ear and Rin _moans_ despite the warning, hips bucking up into the other man's touch. It's the most that they can do in this place, what with the rain and the possibility that they might get caught; miles off of the ground among the thunderclouds is only where they wish to be.

 

Their clothes are tighter than ever and Seijuurou lets out a soft growl of frustration, shifting slightly so his legs don't fall asleep and leaning forward to kiss his lover again, a little softer this time.

 

_(My God I can't lose you now)_

 

"One day," he manages, even as Rin arches and keens softly in his arms, "I'll make it up to you. One day we'll be home, we'll stop this and I'll give you what you really deserve. We'll be safe. I swear it."

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Seijuurou learns the hard way that he needs to stop making promises that he can't keep.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

He's doing his evening rounds when he bumps into Tachibana, now a Johnin with three students of his own. It's amazing how life goes on, Seijuurou realizes with a small shock, and how the stress has melted out of the other ninja's face a bit.

 

"Do you like it? Teaching, I mean."

 

"My students?" Soft green eyes blink in surprise and something bitter twists in Seijuurou's gut. "Of course! They make me happy. Honestly, I see other people in them...it makes me a little sad sometimes, but they have a lot to look forward to. I'm proud of them."

 

"That's good." The bitterness roars in agony and he turns to continue on, but something in the other man's mannerisms stops him. "You need something?"

 

"...it wasn't your fault, Seijuurou."

 

_(What did I tell you? What did I tell you?)_

 

"...I'll keep that in mind, Tachibana. Goodnight."

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Seijuurou doesn't regret the moment that he chooses as his final fate.

 

He doesn't regret saving his comrades nor letting himself take the fall because of it; he sees now the bitter victory in sacrifice, that rush of ironic power at taking control of something as fickle and disastrous as destiny. He understands now why Keiji had smiled as he bled to death, why Masaya had screamed himself voiceless even as he gave literally everything up for one thing.

 

He feels Rin's sacrifice like a knife in his chest but he also feels the _warmth_ of it, the soft glow of acceptance and love even as the blood spattered the walls and his body hit the floor with none of the grace he had always possessed.

 

He's ready for this. It's been a long time coming and he's exhausted and he's ready.

 

_(Maybe I'm not as strong as I pretend to be.)_

 

_(Maybe you only pretended to need me.)_

 

_(Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't care)_

 

_(But I have to know)_

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

_(...Will I see you there?)_

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

_(Gotta make this one count somehow)_

 

Seijuurou tugs his hood off and collapses back against the tree, breathing heavily. All this time training, dodging obstacles and running through forests so fast it feels like he's flying and he _still_ doesn't think he'll ever be able to catch up to his lighter, swifter teammates. Yusokabe is tall like him, but leaner at the shoulders and more fleet of foot; Miyazawa is slighter altogether and is fond of Wind-style techniques as it is. The team dynamic works because they balance each other out, each one filling a certain degree on the spectrum, but the fact remains that no matter how hard he works, Seijuurou still can't go as fast for as long.

 

"You alright there?"

 

Keiji is laughing, Masaya is laughing, the sun is bright and it doesn't matter where they are now or how they got here. They don't talk about that; life in the world was one thing, and life here is another. Nothing more to it.

 

"Just give me a minute," Seijuurou chuckles, waving them away. "Go be a married couple or something sappy like that."

 

A flicker and a smile is all he gets as a warning before they turn and race away, barely touching down on the golden-topped trees before springing off.

 

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

 

_(And yeah, I've found you now)_

 

His voice slides slow and sweet through the sunlit air and Seijuurou lets out a hushed breath, glancing sideways to see Rin in the corner of his vision, a glorious, shimmering apparition of crimson and carmine.

 

"Whatever you want it to mean."

 

His lover laughs, delighted and carefree, coming and settling beside Seijuurou in a graceful flutter of folded limbs.

 

"I can't be sure. I can be pretty indecisive, you know." Rin teases, his voice light, and the other leans over to kiss him.

 

"Let's just say I'd rather them use their own time, not ours." Seijuurou banters with a smile, watching the way that his lover's hair shimmers in the sunlight and feeling that familiar fluttering rise inside of him again.

 

"Well, that sounds alright with me." Rin murmurs, wine-crimson eyes practically glowing in the slats of bright sunlight, his clean, youthful features illuminated by the white shine. "After all, we've got all the time we want now."

 

_(We've made this work somehow.)_


End file.
